I am going through a metamorphosis of sorts myself. I feel a complete change of form and structure going on within my life and career just now. In fact it has been happening for months.

As you probably already know if you follow my blog, or if you follow Rocks n Rituals on Facebook, I have recently been on a job hunt and I have just been offered a new role with a local charitable organisation in my hometown, which is really exciting for me.

As you can imagine, having been fully self-employed for the last 3 years, it will be awesome to have a salary again but it will also be really strange having to leave the house each day to go and work for someone else. However, I only applied for work that felt right in my gut and that I knew would help feed my soul on some level so I am actually really looking forward to it!

Rocks n Rituals will have to change though and that is where the metamorphosis reference comes in. I have been doing a lot of personal development work over the last year. I have been studying shamanic practice and my journey so far through the Medicine Wheel has sparked some big personal changes in my life and has started a deep healing process. As such, I feel it is really important for me to integrate these changes and learn from them. I know that they will bring value and meaning to my life and in turn, I can then perhaps help other people with their own personal healing and transformation.

I am aware that once I return to working for someone else next month that time may become a little tight to fit everything in! I know from past experience what it is like to work full time and run a business on the side – I definitely do not want to burn myself out, or lose the time for my personal life and down time!

I keep hearing “set it down!” I have been fighting that but it keeps coming up – over and over again. Set it down … for now. I feel my soul is telling me that for a little while, Rocks n Rituals will have to take a back seat and it needs to be “set down” for a bit. As such, I am running out the last of the workshops and events that had been pencilled in for April and then I am simply going to take a break from running workshops and events for a few months – maybe even for the rest of this year. I’ll still be seeing my regular clients and members in my monthly clinic but the big training events and workshops will be stopped for a while, ending with the Natural Healing Retreat in April.

I feel that the focus and direction of Rocks n Rituals is going to completely change later this year. I have some exciting plans and thoughts about what I would like to see happen but for now, I need to wrap them up in a little cocoon and allow them to develop fully, so that they can emerge later in the year as fully formed butterfly!

I have learned this year that I need to fully tune into my intuitive nature and allow my path to be directed from the heart and from my gut reaction, rather than letting my head rule the show. This is difficult for a Capricorn! What I can say is that it definitely just works! When I follow my gut and allow soul to lead, things all just work out and I find myself in the flow of life. I am therefore going to try my best to continue to do this and allow Rocks n Rituals the time out to change and undergo its own metamorphosis.

I’d love to hear from you – how do you handle change? Do you embrace it and follow your heart or do you resist it?

You can connect with me via Facebook or follow on Twitter. Please feel free to visit www.rocksnrituals.co.uk for more information about services and to keep an eye out for the forthcoming changes!

Making decisions can be tough! So many options, so many conflicting thoughts and feelings. Emotions get involved – do I listen to my heart or to my head? Do I tune into my body and trust my gut reaction? Well of course that is what I should do – though sometimes that is easier said than done isn’t it?

I have been at a cross-roads in my business over the last few months. Looking at the accounts and figures over the last year or so I can see a marked downturn in business – although somehow I am still making ends meet which is great! I know the economy isn’t at its strongest and I am also well aware that people only tend to come to me for help when they hit the wall and have nowhere else to turn. Unfortunately, despite there being a lot of interest in complementary therapies and energy healing, it doesn’t always translate well into actual clients and business in this part of the country.

I have been toying with taking it all online and doing more distance work, and that is still in the pipeline but I need to invest a little more time and money into good technical solutions for this in order to take it to the next level, and right now it doesn’t quite fit in with my plans.

So, I have been considering whether to simply cut my losses and walk away from self-employment altogether to go back to full time employment, or whether to go back to employment part-time and run my business alongside my job, or whether to simply hang in there and see if things get better. To be totally honest I am a little tired of the constant struggle to bring in new business and to keep generating new ideas to keep things fresh. So I have made a decision (at last!)

I am going to go back to working for someone else … but I do not want to give up my business, after all the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into making it this far. I have worked hard to make the business as successful as it is and parts of it work really well and other parts not so much. My decision to return to employment really stems from the fact that I have so many plans for the future that require a little extra cash, that I decided this was the best way forward. So I am currently applying for full time work in the local area – preferably back in the legal world where I was at my happiest in the past.

The last 3 years being fully self-employed have been a wonderful adventure and I have learned so much. I have had to wear so many different hats along the way – from accountant to web designer to social media manager to therapist, and much more! I have enjoyed every second of it – well, almost every second – I won’t miss the sleepless nights wondering where the rent is coming from – although it always got paid! I have also found that as a sole trader working from home, it can be very isolating and lonely from time to time when things aren’t busy, so I am quite looking forward to the social interaction of being back in a busy office – yes, you can remind me I said that when I am complaining about it in a few weeks’ time!

It’s funny how once you actually make a decision things seems to feel much lighter. I have fought with myself for months about this choice. I had the negative little voice in my head telling me that I was a total failure and that everyone would see that if I went back to employment. I had the defeatist voice inside tell me to just wind down the business altogether and simply work for someone else and give it all up. Then I had the small quiet voice, reassuring me, telling me that working for someone else didn’t mean failure, it just meant a different way to serve people. I can bring my Reiki training, mindfulness and stress management experience into the office environment, infusing all my work with healing Reiki energy and shining my light in a new way. I can continue to offer private client sessions a couple of times a month and I can also run workshops still at weekends from time to time. The little voice also reassured me that I drive my life – I am responsible for my choices and decisions, it doesn’t matter what people think, and that if I find that employment isn’t actually the right path, I can always leave! I am not held at gunpoint at my desk!

I am now actually quite excited at the prospect of going back into the corporate world, with a wiser and calmer head on my shoulders. I know how to manage my stress levels in a much more healthy way with meditation and energy healing, rather than caffeine and junk food! I will know exactly how much cash is going into the bank each month which will make me feel much more secure financially – always a good thing!

What also excites me is that, because Rocks n Rituals will now be concentrated into less days per month, it means that I can focus on the elements that really work well – and do them better. So once I get back into employment (applications are underway so wish me luck!) – Rocks n Rituals will run as follows: –

I will have availability for a maximum of 12 client sessions per month – 6 sessions available one Saturday per month, and 6 available over 2 Wednesday evenings per month. Priority will be given to members for the 12 available client sessions per month, so if you aren’t a member then get on board now before it’s too late! I have only 8 membership spaces left.

One workshop will be offered per month – for example Reiki Training, Crystal Healing Workshops or Angel Awareness Courses.

My weekly Tuesday night Tarot classes will remain in place and will run periodically throughout the year.

This is my initial plan and what is amusing is that I am noticing clients are already navigating to these times anyway – like the universe is signalling to me that this is the right path and is meeting me half way. I am in a good place emotionally and mentally now about my decision – it feels right. I feel like I am meant to take this path right now – it will open doors for me, of that I have no doubt.

I wanted to write this blog to reassure anyone else who finds themselves in a similar situation to simply make the decision. Go with your gut and when you feel that lightness and expansiveness within your body as you settle into your chosen choice, you will know you have made the right choice. When you offer yourself up in service for the highest good and then step out of your own way to allow the universe to bring the opportunities to you, you will find that you have stepped into the flow of life – and that is a much nicer place to be. I have stopped trying to control how it is all going to work out. I have made a few plans for how I would like things to go but I am open to being pleasantly surprised by how things work out for me.

Crystal Healing – can a bunch of stones really help with healing?! Absolutely!

Crystals and stones come from the Earth – the planet upon which we live. They were formed over millions of years deep within the Earth and as such are a natural healing product which we can use to restore balance.

Let me try to explain how it works. Your body is your physical vehicle through life but you are more than just the physical human form that we can all see. You are an electrical being with energy. Your body is made up of atoms which all carry consciousness and energy.

You have an energy field in and around your body and whether you are aware of it or not, you interact with all other energy on this planet and within the universe.

Your energy field affects the energy field of those around you and you are also affected by other people’s energy too. You know this instinctively – you find yourself drawn more towards higher vibrations such as love, laughter and happiness and away from pain, fear and negativity.

Crystals are also made up of atoms and molecules and since all atoms carry energy and an element of consciousness the crystals must therefore have energy within them.

Crystals also carry a small electrical charge (just like us) – it is called the piezo-electric effect. When you hold and rub a crystal in your hand you are generating a small electrical charge which is energy. This energy can be used to bring about change in your energy field.

For example – you may have been exposed to negative energy – perhaps you have been around someone whose mood has been very low and dark and you find yourself drained. Or perhaps you have been ill and are now physically recovering but still feel emotionally and mentally exhausted. By using crystals to effect change on your energy field you can help restore balance.

We are more than just a physical body – we need to also bring balance to our mind and spirit. Crystals work on this holistic level – restoring balance to mind, body and spirit and as such are powerhouses of healing energy that we can all tap into.

You don’t even need to believe they work! When you carry crystals with you, they attune to your vibration and help with a multitude of things. Each crystal has a set of specific properties – colour matters – it is a vibration of energy after all too! So depending on the colour, the type of crystal, how it was formed and your personal intention for the crystal, the stone can be used for a myriad of uses.

For thousands of years crystals have been used to attract love, abundance, healing and protection. Personally I wouldn’t be without mine! I use them for keeping my energy field clean and clear, to protect my home, to attract abundance and success, to restore my health, to help me connect to spirit guides and angels … the list goes on and on.

Would you like to find out more? Check out my Crystal Healing pages on the website or why not book for a treatment and experience the power and beauty of a crystal healing session for yourself?

Just like Reiki, crystal healing can be done at distance. If this interests you and you would like to try it for yourself please book a distance session today.

In the meantime, let me know – what are your favourite crystals and why?

So many people say to me, “I must make time for myself more – I really enjoy coming to these sessions – I really will make more of an effort to come once a month.”

And then they disappear. Life gets in the way – they intend to book an appointment and before they know it 3 months has passed or 6 months … sometimes even a year.

When they get back in touch with me, they can’t believe so much time has elapsed and perhaps then they book a few sessions to try and get them into the habit of taking regular time out for their health and happiness, only for it to slip away and for life to get in the way again.

Sometimes it is simply the cost that can get in the way – my standard rate is £30 per hour and I know how tight money can be – especially at this time of year just after Christmas. January is a long month!

However it is so important to take care of yourself. To take time out of your busy life to recharge your batteries and to have some self-care. You cannot give from an empty vessel. When you take time to have a regular energy healing session such as Reiki, Crystal Healing or Reflexology, you find yourself feeling more balanced. You can cope better with life’s demands and you know that you respect yourself enough to make time for your own needs.

So I have set up a membership scheme to try and help you stick to a regular monthly self-care regime. There are various options available but the main scheme is a rolling monthly membership programme, set up via a PayPal subscription which you can cancel at any time.

Priority for premium appointment times – early mornings, evenings and weekends.

10% discount off all workshops, certified training and events (when workshops paid in full at time of booking).

Guaranteed protection against rising treatment prices – your monthly fee will not rise during your membership period (guaranteed for 12 months at a time).

Free gift each year to the value of £30 as a thank you for your loyalty – given within 7 days of the anniversary of your membership on renewal of your membership.

It really is a no-brainer – you are saving £5 off a standard session each month. If you want to avail of a longer session, such as a combined Reiki & Reflexology which lasts almost 2 hours, you can simply pay a £10 surcharge on the day of your appointment – which means you actually save £15 off the total normal price! In fact, if you know that you enjoy combined sessions best then ask me about setting up a regular monthly payment of £35 instead so you can avail of these sessions without having to worry about bring cash to the appointment!

For me, as a business owner, it makes running the business much easier. When you take out a monthly membership it helps me plan cash-flow which in turn helps me support my family. Small businesses like mine, rely on loyal customer support and regular returning business. When you take out a membership you are really helping to support Rocks n Rituals, which means I can continue to help people regain their spark and find themselves with mind, body & spirit energy healing sessions.

My services are not limited by locality – even if you are not based near me you can still avail of energy healing services. Reiki & Crystal Healing can both be done at distance, as can Tarot Reading and Coaching (via Skype), so don’t let distance be a barrier to working with me.

Full terms and conditions are listed on the website and you can see the other membership options and sign up if you like what you see. Click here to visit the website.

Why not make 2018 the year that you take more time for yourself and take a membership today?

Happy New Year to you! I hope you enjoyed the festive period and are ready to jump into 2018 with all your heart and soul. As Buddha said, “If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart!”

I got back to work today and it felt great. I am just in between clients at the moment, with a pretty full diary building up for the next week or two and I thought I would take a moment to write a quick post.

I have heard quite a few people complaining about being back to work and I can empathise – I used to feel the same. That dreaded feeling in the pit of my stomach and the ever present feeling of stress at having to do work that was not completely in alignment with my soul. Several years ago I decided to do something about that, and I have since manifested my life in a new and improved way.

I now enjoy going to work because it is my own business and it helps people in profound ways. I am no longer a slave to the grind, I set my own hours and work at my pace. I have created a life for myself where I have time to meditate and connect with my guides, I have time to listen to my intuition and to act on what I hear and I have time to learn new things and attend courses to keep my soul happy.

You may have seen my last post where I reviewed 2017 and my progress to date – if not check it out. I am a keen advocate of creating a vision board to help get your ideas and dreams out of your head and into reality.

I used to laugh at the idea – saying things like, “How on earth can a piece of cardboard with pictures on it help me achieve anything?!” I am here to tell you that it really DOES work!

You see when you create a vision board, it is much more than just a pretty picture. It helps you to begin the creation process. Your thoughts, dreams and inspiring visions need an outlet. By actively participating and choosing relevant images which speak to your soul, you are creating a vision of your reality. Your vision board becomes your focus – it helps you remember what you want and why you want it. It helps keep you on track – taking steps towards your dream.

The vision board is not magic – you still have to meet the universe half way! For example – last year I created a board and had the following intentions: –

To become a healthier, fitter version of myself

To write a book

To meditate more and listen to guidance

To make more time for family

To bring abundance into my life

By the end of the year I had more than managed to achieve my intentions. The vision board helped me maintain a focus but I still had to actually take some action. I had to enrol on a fitness programme and learn how to nourish my body better. I had to actually sit down and write the book – in fact I wrote two! I had to alter my schedule to make time for meditation and guidance. I had to make an effort and spend more quality time with my partner and children. By doing all these things, I naturally brought abundance into my life – in all forms – financially, spiritually, emotionally and physically.

Towards the end of last year I created another vision board to help me focus any outstanding projects business wise and so far I have taken big steps on those things too. You can never have too many vision boards!

So the process of sitting down, getting clear on what you want to achieve in the coming months and then actively creating a visual representation on a vision board really will help you to achieve your dreams. So my question to you is – what do you want to achieve in 2018?

To continue to provide quality service for my clients and to keep improving those services.

To write another book!

To step out of my comfort zone more often – both personally and professionally.

This Saturday, 6th January 2018, I will creating my own vision board again to set the tone for the first few months of the year. Several other people will be joining me for this creative project and the workshop will be fun, interactive and above all inspiring. I’d love to see you there if you are in the area and are able to attend just let me know!

Share your stories with me – have you ever created a vision board and how did it work out for you?

Well here we are at that time of year again … almost Christmas and New Year. I don’t know about you but it feels right to look back over 2017 and see what went well and what didn’t before moving into 2018.

At the start of 2017 I ran a vision board workshop and created my own board during the event. I was looking at it the other day and I realised that I had pretty much nailed everything on it – which felt pretty damn good!

2017 was, numerologically speaking, a “one” year – a year to sow seeds and plant some new beginnings. It hasn’t always been easy this year – we have had a lot of cosmic energy in the mix – eclipses, 4 Mercury retrogrades and lots of super moon activity too.

As it has been a year to plant some seeds it has often felt a little frustrating as projects were slow to get off the ground or move along but this is as it should be. Let’s learn from Mother Nature – seeds go into the ground and on the surface it looks like nothing is happening, but deep in the earth life is stirring. The earth is nurturing the little seed, water is flowing into it and it begins to swell and burst, forming little roots that tentatively move down into the earth seeking support and nourishment.

The ground and rooting process happens first before the little plant begins to reach upwards towards the surface, breaking through eventually as a new shoot of potential.

This is what has been happening this year – we have been planting seeds and deep in the ground they are rooting themselves into reality, getting ready to grow over the coming years. This is the most important part, for without this rooting and grounding process we have no foundations upon which to build.

Back in January 2017 I set an intention to write a book, create some online courses and set up a better way to approach Reiki Training. I also wanted to focus on my personal health and well-being and my own spiritual development.

It’s now December 2017 and I have written not one but two books, created several online courses, launched a brand new website and sister company to Rocks n Rituals, called Reiki Training NI and I have dedicated more time to my own personal healing by meditating daily, taking more time out for me and by enrolling on some exciting courses (which you’ll find out about next year!)

So, for me, it has been a good year, despite a few wobbles, and I firmly believe that it was because I took the time at the beginning of the year to sit down and work out what I wanted to achieve. I also realised this year that it is better to create these plans and visions each quarter – rather than trying to plan for the whole year. You seem to maintain the focus and motivation when you plan for 90 days at a time rather than for 365 days!

So I am now running another vision board and intention setting workshop for January but I will be running them each quarter to help support people to grow their ideas and projects from the little seeds they planted this year.

Looking ahead, in 2018 I hope to be a part of an exciting new Reiki Training movement in association with my professional Reiki body (more on this will follow as things develop), I intend to complete some personal and spiritual training which will lead to new transformational healing services for my clients and I fully intend to step out of my comfort zone in 2018 and change things up a gear.

I have also realised that it is good to play your cards close to your chest – to work on your projects with an element of quietness and secrecy until you are ready to launch – this helps your projects to retain their energy and gives you focus and power. This is why I am not shouting too much about my 2018 plans – you will simply have to watch this space to see what comes next – I can tell you that it will be bigger and more exciting than what has come before and I can’t wait to share the new projects with you!

So … how has 2017 been for you? What have you achieved this year that you are proud of? What hasn’t gone so well? Tell me in the comments.

Are you ready for 2018 and would you like to create your own vision board and 90 day plan for the first quarter of the new year? If so then get in touch. I can work with you in person or at distance to help you find your focus, set your intentions and clearly plan out your goals – why not give it a try? Or if you are in the local area why not come along to my Vision Board workshop on Saturday 6th January 2018 and harness the power of group intention and energy to ignite your new plans for 2018.

I am asking for help please – something most of us find difficult I think! However I am always telling my students and clients that if they don’t ask for help then they won’t get it – so it is time to practice what I preach. So, would you help me please?

I have embarked on a new business venture and I need a little bit of help getting it off the ground.

As you probably already know I run my own business (Rocks n Rituals) but I am always on the look out for new opportunities to bring added value to my customers.

So I have joined Neal’s Yard Remedies as one of their independent consultants. Neal’s Yard specialise in pure, natural, organic products – everything from beauty essentials to aromatherapy and herbal remedies. Their values and ethics are a breath of fresh air and their products are absolutely gorgeous.

So – how can you help me?

There are a number of ways you can help – I appreciate money is tight for everyone these days but some of these ways will not cost you anything so if you could help it would be amazing.

1. If you haven’t already, please like and share my Rocks n Rituals Facebook page so that people can see my posts about the new venture (and my existing business!) – it also helps me a lot if people interact with my posts to keep engagement up so if you could take the time to like or comment on posts that you see, that would be fab.

2. Take a look at the Neal’s Yard products and spread the word that I am taking orders for Christmas now. (Please share this link – https://uk.nyrorganic.com/shop/debibarr). You can order via this link and have products delivered directly to you, so it doesn’t matter where in the world you are – you can still purchase lovely organic items.

3. If you are local to my area (Bangor, Northern Ireland) and are free on Saturday 18th November, I am hosting a launch party and free skincare workshop at my house – details are here. It would be great if you could come along and bring a friend. It’s a wonderful way to sample the products for yourself and get started on your Christmas shopping if you see something that you like.

4. If you are in Northern Ireland, why not host a pamper party or skincare evening at your home? Simply invite a few friends and I will come and demo the products – as hostess you get a free facial, a hostess gift (which is a full size product), a small thank you gift for saying yes to hosting and you get £25 free shopping if sales reach £150. Take a look here for more details about hosting a party.

5. Place an order – Neal’s Yard products make beautiful Christmas presents and there is so much to choose from – I am happy to point you in the right direction to help you make your purchase. You can either shop online here or I can give you a catalogue and order form to use and I will then place the order for you.

6. If you love their products as much as I do you can even sign up as a consultant yourself – you don’t need to be doing it from a business point of view like me, many people simply sign up in order to get discounted products – as a consultant you save 25% on all purchases.

OK – hard sell time over – if you can help in any way I would appreciate it a lot, after all if you don’t ask, you don’t get!